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Facts and figures

winkler – that's 42 locations, over 1,600 employees and a full range of some 200,000 parts. Our head office is in Stuttgart and there are winkler branches in Austria, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia and the Slovak Republic as well as in Germany. Our individual, industry-specific advice makes the difference everywhere. Amongst other things, this expertise has made us one of the leading wholesalers of commercial vehicle parts in

Europe – and consequently the ideal first port of call for commercial vehicle owners, bus companies, agricultural businesses, workshops and international trading partners. However, winkler is not only active on behalf of its customers – it's also a member of the Carat and GVA associations. We support the GVA campaign "Right to repair" – an initiative to support the free trade of commercial vehicle parts.

Strong values, flexible solutions

winkler is a medium-sized business which can hold its own but which has kept a family feel. This is why strong values are especially important to us – they serve to guide our actions and as a starting point for the continued development of the company.

Our guiding values:

We are characterized by particular competence and a high level of motivation.

Sustainability

We recognize that we have a responsibility to our customers, suppliers, employees and the environment.

Order and clarity

We want ever clearer structures as the basis for ever better results.

Consistency

We want to develop as a company on the basis of a corporate culture which can hold its own.

Flexibility

Our aim is to question the current state of affairs in order to acquire knowledge for change and then implement this change consistently.

Honesty

By co-operating honestly and openly, we promote the continued development of our employees and encourage them to behave maturely and responsibly.

Ability to communicate

We aim to keep communication open across hierarchies and boundaries and to remain critical in the process.

Reliability

We behave with the greatest care and provide one another with mutual support in achieving our quality claims.

Every division convinces

Our group is divided into four divisions. Together they cover the complete range of products and services required by our customers, however different these may be.

winkler-Fahrzeugteile [winkler vehicle parts]

winkler trade counters ensure individual care and competent specialist advice for commercial vehicle owners, workshops, agricultural businesses and bus companies. The target group-specific teams of advisers are professionals in their field and are in continuous dialogue with suppliers, manufacturers and customers.

winkler Logistik [winkler logistics]

In two of the largest central warehouses for commercial vehicle spare parts in Europe, our logistics company winkler Logistik stocks over 200,000 parts for trucks, trailers, semitrailers, buses, transporters, fork-lift trucks and agricultural machinery. With a high-performance warehousing and logistics concept, the spare part required is with the customer in the shortest possible time.

winkler Truck and Trailer Parts

Our subsidiary exports commercial vehicle parts all over the world through local trading partners. Truck and Trailer Parts has access to the full winkler product range as well as to the services of winkler Logistik. The customer advisers speak 11 languages.

winkler Fahrzeugtechnik [winkler Technical Centre]

The winkler Technical Centre based in Ludwigsburg concentrates on repairing commercial vehicles and is one of the few axle repair specialists in Germany. The affiliated fork-lift truck centre provides special repairs for fork-lift trucks.

History in stages

From Stuttgart blacksmith and coach-builder to commercial vehicle specialist with Europe-wide operations in just over 100 years. Find out more about the key stages in our history.

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1901 – 1924

In 1901, Christian Winkler set himself up as a blacksmith and coach-builder in Stuttgart; five years later he was appointed blacksmith and coach-builder to the royal court at Württemberg. Although he went blind in 1914, his sons Ludwig and Wilhelm became true masters of their craft under the supervision of their father

1925 – 1945

Despite a difficult economic situation, new land for the business was bought. The car was the future, and this gave rise to the company’s idea of producing and repairing car springs – “Winkler springs” were soon known all over the country. Development work for Porsche and Daimler-Benz, together with serial production of springs and stabilizers, were routine. In the early 1940s, a new production hall was built. Axle repair was a pioneering service from winkler.

1946 – 1962

The new production hall was the only building to survive the Second World War. With the 1948 currency reform, the company started rebuilding itself. The old workshop was rebuilt and extended. In 1958, a large new building was erected. The repair technique was perfected and expanded in a new smaller factory at Weilimdorf.

1963 – 1985

1963 saw the birth of the wholesale business in commercial vehicle parts - a new foothold for winkler. Under a new generation of directors, the wholesale business rapidly developed into a dynamic growth area. In 1975, modern premises for the repair departments were built in Ludwigsburg. Administration, trading and the production and repair of springs were all accommodated in the parent house in Stuttgart. From 1972 onwards, the company grew rapidly, with new locations in Karlsruhe, Freiburg and Ulm.

1986 – 1999

The first central warehouse was built in Ulm in 1987, the second in Kassel in 1996. winkler became a full-range supplier with branches all over Germany. The first location outside Germany was in Härkingen, in Switzerland. When the export company winkler Truck and Trailer Parts was set up, it formed the basis for international growth.

2000 – today

In 2001 winkler started selling agriculture-specific spare parts. In subsequent years, branches were opened in Switzerland, Latvia, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. From 2002 to 2011, the number of employees doubled. 2013 saw completion of the extension of winkler's central warehouse in Ulm. In 2017 the construction of the third central warehouse in Himberg near Vienna starts.

The board of the winkler Group

Rüdiger Hahn

Chairman of the Management Board

Bernd Sixt

Managing Director, Product Management

Hans Strobel

Managing Director, Sales

Ralf Dannhäuser

Member of the Management, Sales

Jörg Rentschler

Member of the Management, Product Management and Marketing

Reinhold Schlotterer

Member of the Management, IT / Finance and Accounting

Jürgen Schweizer

Member of the Management, Sales

Andreas Mayer

Member of the Management, Logistics

Driven by values

As a company, we are aware of the responsibility we have. Against this background, we put stringent demands not only on our products, but also on how we deal with the environment, as well as our customers and business partners. It goes without saying that we also have an especially great responsibility for our employees, who are the people who put everything into the company day in, day out.

Added value from a good diet

Good work demands good food, we're convinced of that. We would like to give our employees ideal working conditions, and that includes a good, balanced lunch with lots of variety. winkler provides this for its staff in cooperation with its catering partner "Essenszeit" [mealtime]. In concrete terms, this means using fresh, high-quality ingredients and preparing them with care. This enables us to contribute to the well-being of our employees, which is why we are also happy to pay the lion's share of the costs involved.

Looking beyond the ends of our noses

As a company conscious of its responsibilities, we want to make a real contribution to the future and to the general public. This is why year after year, we help charities around our locations realize an enormous variety of projects. And because the social commitment of each individual counts, our up-and-coming managers undertake several weeks' work experience in a charitable facility of their choice as part of their development programme.

Our environmental approach

Selling commercial vehicle parts sales and protecting the environment - are these mutually exclusive notions? We don’t think so. It is precisely because of our business operations that we believe we have an obligation to be as kind to the environment as possible. This is why at winkler, we put a lot of energy into saving energy.

This declaration includes a certificate issued by Partslife GmbH. The results of the energy audit undertaken at the company show that winkler has an energy concept which enables optimum energy-saving potential to be achieved.

Climate-Neutral Print Production

As a company that routinely has printed products produced, we see it as our responsibility to give something back to the environment. For this reason we are committed to printing more and more of our catalogs, brochures and flyers in a climate-neutral manner. This allows us to offset the unavoidable emissions created by printing, and all the upstream and downstream operations associated with it, through recognized climate protection projects.

Where can we help you?

winkler offers you a range of services unique in this form in over 40 locations in Europe. Display the location of your choice and contact us.To our location map

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Commercial vehicle parts centre

Training location

Commercial vehicle parts centre with agricultural dealership

Central warehouse

Technical Centre

Central Administration

Press contact

As a representative of the press you are in the right place. We are glad to answer your questions or bring you in contact with the right person.

Press contact: Mrs. Almut Goldschmid

Photographic records

We would be pleased to supply you with up-to-date, print-quality press photos to assist with your research work. You can conveniently download the file by clicking on the desired image. The photographs below may be reprinted free of charge provided the source is acknowledged.Just let us know if you are looking for a particular subject from the commercial vehicle spare parts sector. We will be pleased to provide rapid assistance.

Full range, delivery service, specialist advice. winkler benefits in Germany and in many countries in Europe

winkler has over 40 sites throughout Europe employing over 1,600 people. You will find us in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Slovakia. And everywhere we are a valued contact with our full range, high-performance delivery service and expert advice. This page tells you what else makes the company special, the business units it is divided into and the shared vision which governs our actions.